Cupid's Canon Fodder
by elleindie
Summary: Chloe Sullivan gives new meaning to the phrase 'When you love something, let it go. If it comes back, it's yours.' Mainly Chlark.
1. Belated Birthday Debacle

_**Disclaimer:** I don't own Smallville, the characters, or any of that good stuff. TPTB have that lovely acknowledgment.  
__**AN:**__ I wrote this at 2:30 this morning, so I'm not sure how everyone will like it; I'm kind of kooky that early. I love readers and adore reviewers; please, leave me a comment! Now, please note that I'm not usually a Chlark shipper (I'm a Clana fan myself) but this story was tugging at the corner of my mind to be written. Sorry if there is strong Clana hinting in there. (This is more of a 'Chloe's feelings for Clark' story, rather than 'Clark and Chloe's feelings for each other'.)_

**Cupid's Canon Fodder**

_  
Today is going to be the day_  
_That they're going to throw it back at you. . ._

The sounds of clacking keys and a slightly squeaky chair were momentarily drowned out by the sound of the phone; the words were familiar to her ears and yet the sudden music had still caused her to jump. Eyes never leaving the computer screen, she groaned.

"Come on, five more seconds," she pleaded, ignoring the flashing phone and continuing to work her fingers at the keyboard in a frenzy. The phone continued its depressingly successful attempts to capture her attention as it began to reverberate slightly throughout the empty work room.  
_  
I don't believe that anybody_  
_Feels the way I do_  
_About you now. . . _

Rolling her eyes – and her chair – she stretched a thin, lengthy arm out across a sea of disorganized papers – in other words, her research. Taking the phone up in her thin fingers, she couldn't help but smile at the name on the caller I.D. Flipping the phone open, she gladly tore her eyes away from the computer and put the phone to her ear.

"Well, if it isn't everybody's favorite Flannel King," she said with a grin. "How's the red jacket treating you?"

The deep laugh on the other end only caused her already large smile to broaden considerably. "I'm good, Chloe. What are you up to?"

Chloe stifled a small yawn and blinked. "Just working on a piece for the Planet: LuthorCorp and politics. I've got a sneaking suspicion I've written this story before."

"I know what you mean," Clark said, a sound of strong sarcasm gracing his voice. "It's news, but it isn't new. By the way, why are you still at the Planet, it's past midnight."

"Really?" This time she failed at hiding the yawn. "I hadn't noticed." She shook her head and clicked the 'save' button on her article. "Anyways, you obviously didn't call me so late for nothing. What's up?"

"Well, it's Lana." _I should have figured,_ Chloe thought. "I can't figure out what to get for her birthday." Chloe could almost hear his eyebrows furrow in frustration. She bit back a laugh, for Clark's sake.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but her birthday was last week."

Clark groaned. "All the more reason to ask you, isn't it? It's just, I don't know what she wants—"

"What about the truth? You could even skive out on the pretty box and shiny red bow."

"I tried that, remember?" Clark's voice was low. "All it did was get her killed."

Chloe bit her lip. "Right." She shut down the computer and pushed her chair backwards. "If you don't mind, can we skip the whole 'bending the space/time continuum' thing for tonight? I don't think my caffeine-deprived brain can handle anything Wall of Weird tonight."

"Seriously, Chlo," Clark said, using his nickname for her – or rather, everyone's nickname for her. "I mean, who's to say she'll even accept a gift from me right now?" Chloe heard a rifling sigh cross the phone line. "It's not like we're on the best of terms."

Chloe slipped on her jacket, struggling to do so without dropping the phone. She did it, and with her own sigh she picked up her purse and began to walk towards the elevators, torn between helping Clark and wanting sleep.

"Look, Clark, I would love to help sort out all of your problems – which, we both know, you have ten truckloads of – but I really think this is a conversation better served under the influence of sleep and coffee." She bit her lip. "Sorry."

"Guess you're right," Clark said, noticeably stifling his own yawn. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, Chlo."

Chloe smiled an exhausted smile. "Yeah, see you then." With a tired sigh she snapped the phone shut and slipped it in her purse.

"Tell me again why my best friend is the guy with the single most issues in the world?" she thought aloud as she punched the down button for the elevator with a finger.  
_  
You know why_, a tiny voice said, somewhere in the corner of her fatigued mind.


	2. Five Sugar Packets

"Regular, black." Lois set a cup of coffee down in front of Chloe. "Just like you asked." 

"You're a doll," Chloe said with a grin and coaxed the sugar packet tray towards her with her index finger. It was nine AM, and Chloe was still tired after not getting back to her dorm until one in the morning and leaving for Smallville at seven.

"Yeah, well," Lois said, her own coffee steaming in front of her. "I try."

Chloe laughed lightly as she emptied two, three, four sugar packets into her dark coffee. Lois eyed her as she contemplated another pocket before ripping it open and dumping in the crystalline contents. "Easy on the sugar, Chlo."

Chloe stirred the coffee and took a sip of the sweet beverage. "Sorry; I was up all night at the Planet, and then Clark called with a Lana problem. . . And you know Fridays at Met. U. are party nights. People coming in at five-thirty, making a _ton_ of noise. . ."

"Ahh," Lois reminisced, "the college days."

"I bet that drunk girl bumbling in at five AM was _you_ on more than one occasion," Chloe said accusingly, her eyebrow raised.

"Y-yeah, well. . ." Lois fidgeted in her seat. "Um. . . What was Clark's problem?"

Chloe took another drink, acknowledging the famous topic-turn Lois had just pulled. "Didn't know what to get Lana for her birthday, which was a week ago."

"I always wondered how he managed to do farm work without impaling himself on a pitchfork. The boy is hopeless," she said with a laugh while bringing her mug of coffee to her lips. "So what did you say?"

"I denied further comment until I was a bit more awake," Chloe said. _In other words, pulled the emotional ripcord again._ "I figured Lana deserved something better than what I could dredge up after hours of staring at a computer screen like a zombie." She said the last word with wide eyes and a small grin. Lois contemplated Chloe over her coffee mug.

"And you? What do you deserve?"

Her blue eyes pierced Chloe's green ones. Chloe blinked to break eye-contact; she hated that glare from Lois, the glare that told her Lois could see right through souls, and probably, if she tried really, really hard, walls.

"This isn't about me," she said, attempting to pull all stops to steer the conversation away from the inevitable: her feelings for Clark.

"Come on, Chloe," Lois said, setting her mug down. "Anything to do with Clark has always been about you. Even if you denied it, you always had stronger feelings for Clark than I could ever imagine. . . And yet, whenever you've had a chance, you've urged him onto something else." Lois cocked her head, looking completely like a confused dog. "I never could figure it out."

Chloe shrugged, her finger running around the rim of her mug. "I'm kind of a believer in that phrase, 'if you love something, let it go'-"

Lois snorted. "I would have thought you were the last person to believe that 'if it comes back, it's yours' tripe. How many times has Clark come crawling back to you for help and you've pointed him in a different direction like a hound dog on the hunt?"

"That's different. I've expressed my feelings to him before, and every time. . ." She paused.

"You've pushed him away." Lois sighed and leaned across the corner table at the Talon. "I know I'm the last person to give love advice, but . . . For being Cupid's canon fodder, you really do dodge the shot too many times to count."

Chloe stared at Lois for a long time before taking a deep breath. "Lois, how much of an idiot am I?"

Lois smiled. "You're not an idiot. You're in love."

Chloe looked at her darkly, but with a watery smile all the same. "I could find many people who'd tell you there's no difference."

Lois leaned back in her chair. "I have a feeling I've made my point."


	3. Mrs Kent Makes Eggs

Chloe's car pulled up with the familiar dust cloud and the smell of country air she'd come to identify distinctly as Kent Farm washed over her. Smiling to herself, she got out of the car and walked up the front steps, looking around the quaint farm for some sign of FarmBoy himself. Failing to find him, she instead knocked on the front door, which was promptly answered by Martha Kent, smiling her friendly smile. "Hello, Chloe, haven't seen you around in a while." Come in!" She held the door open and Chloe ushered herself into the entry hall.

"I've been swamped, you know, with college and the Daily planet." She nodded before adding, "I love it."

"That's great!" Martha said, leading Chloe into the kitchen.

"Yeah, it is." Chloe perched herself on one of the stools while Martha went behind the counter. Shaking her head a bit, she moved on to what was weighing on her mind. "Uh, is Clark here? He had a bit of a . . . dilemma last night; I was just stopping by to see if he had sorted it out."

"What kind of dilemma?" Martha asked, quirking her eyebrows and wiping her hands on a towel before pulling out a bowl and some eggs. Chloe shrugged.

"Strictly Lana related," she aid with a small grin. "He needed ideas on what to get her for her birthday. He thought I would have some clue." Her grin widened. "Thing is, at midnight I can't think all that well."

Martha grinned. "I don't blame you," she said, breaking eggs in the bowl with such ease that Chloe couldn't help but be entranced. "But I don't' understand; I thought Lana's birthday was _last_ week?"

Chloe raised her eyebrows. "Well, it was. But, you've said it yourself: Clark Kent and punctuality were never on great terms."

Martha laughed. "I guess you're right." She beat the eggs and looked up at Chloe. "You know, I'm glad Clark has you to talk to. Ever since he and Lana. . ." Martha paused and looked into he bowl. "He's glad to have you as a friend."

Chloe sighed, her shoulders slumping. "I just wish I could make him happy." Her voice was quiet and low.

Martha wiped her hands again on the towel and set the bowl aside. "You do Chloe. You make him very happy." She furrowed her eyebrows and peered over the counter at Chloe. "But are you?"

Chloe looked up form playing with the seam of her jacket sleeve. "Am I. . . what?"

"Are you happy?" Chloe sighed and shrugged her shoulders. Martha took a breath and continued. "maybe you're spending so much time trying to make Clark smile that you never get to smile yourself."

Chloe raised her eyebrows, grinning. "No offense, but I have no clue what you're talking about, Mrs. Kent." As if to reiterate her point, she smiled wider. "I smile all the time."

"Mmhmm." Martha gave a tight-lipped smile. "You tell Clark to tell the truth, don't you?"

Chloe nodded, rolling her eyes. "If he'd just tell Lana, things would be much easier for him. . ."

Martha raised her eyebrows at Chloe before taking up the bowl an egg beater again. "I've made my point. Clark's in the barn."

Chloe paused, her mouth open slightly, her eyebrows furrowed. "Mrs. Kent-?" Martha smiled at her again. Chloe nodded. "Thanks."

Chloe turned her back and walked back down the hallway towards the front door. Martha sighed, a large smile gracing her features.


	4. A Shiny Present

Chloe climbed the familiar steps leading up to the loft with light feet and heavy heart. She wasn't sure what she was going to do; her heart and her brain were telling her the same things they always had, and they were arguing immensely. Shaking her head a bit, Chloe reached the top of the stairs. Focusing so deeply on what she was about to do, she failed to focus on what she was currently doing; her foot caught slightly on the top step, causing her to lurch forward. She caught herself on the banister, but not before she had caught Clark's attention.

"Chloe?" Clark said from his seat on the couch. She watched as he stood up and set down a small box wrapped in silver on the desk before coming over to her. "You alright?" He reached out and steadied her with one of his strong hands. Chloe closed her eyes and nodded.

"I'm fine," she said. Opening her eyes, she grinned. "I guess five years does nothing for clumsiness."

Clark raised his eyebrows. "Not true. I used to fall down everywhere I went in freshman year, remember that?" His grin slid from his face. "Mainly whenever I was around Lana, but. . ."

"Yeah," Chloe said slowly, biting her lip. "Pete and I used to bet each other on how long it's take you to turn into Bumbling Lover Boy."

"Thanks," Clark said with a smile and turning his back to her, leading her further into the loft. "It's nice to know that I earned my friends a bit of money. Anything else you guys gambled on?"

"Whether you'd miss the bus or not," she said hesitantly. Clark nodded.

"I did that a lot, didn't I?" He scrunched up his face. Chloe nodded.

"Quite a bit."

Clark laughed and returned to the desk, picking up the small box and stared at it. The box looked absolutely miniscule compared to his sturdy hands. Chloe took a few steps towards him and pointed at it.

"Lana's gift?" she asked, her eyes watching the light reflect off the wrapping. He nodded.

"I found it up here," he said. "I remembered her liking it when we first found it." Noticing the confused look on Chloe's face, he continued. "It's her aunt's necklace, you know, Louise?"

"Oh, right," Chloe said, a grin creeping over her lips as she moved to stand beside Clark and lean on the desk. "The one you had flashbacks about in junior year?"

Clark nodded. "I didn't realize she had left it here. . . I was going through some of the junk up here, trying to tidy up a bit." He looked around the loft. "I figured she might like it back."

"Well, it seems as if you've solved the Lana mystery without me," Chloe said. Clark smiled and nodded.

"I guess I did." He looked up at Chloe. "I guess this means that someday I won't need you to research all my weird hunches anymore."

Chloe punched him lightly on the arm. "Right; the day you stop coming to me will be a cold day in Hell."

"You're right," Clark said, setting the box down. "I couldn't outgrow you."

Chloe laughed. "Except for vertically."

They looked at each other, remembering full well the time in freshman year when Clark had said the same thing to her. Chloe let her eyes linger over his features for longer than she normally would have; clearing her throat, she looked down at the ground. Clark sighed and picked up the box again.

"What if this doesn't work?" he said; Chloe lifted her eyes to him again. "What if she still won't talk to me?"

Chloe shrugged. "I guess that Lana will do what she feels, and nothing could really change it." She looked up at Clark, her eyebrows raised. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try."

"And if it doesn't work?" he repeated.

Chloe cocked her head to the right; the sound in Clark's voice was. . . different, not like the other times he had asked her that question in association to Lana. It was almost as if he already knew it wouldn't, or like he didn't _want_ it to. Utterly confused, Chloe shrugged again.

"I always thought you and Lois were cute together," she said, injecting her own brand of humor into a situation meant to be completely serious. She looked up at Clark with a grin on her face; he met her gaze with sad eyes.

"Why do you always do that?"

Chloe shook her head, her grin long gone. "Do what, exactly?"

"Avoid saying what you mean by dancing around the subject?" Clark turned his torso so he was facing her fully. "I feel like you don't trust me."

"Please, Clark," she said, scoffing. "How could I possibly not trust you after what you've confided in me? It's not like you could just tell me your secret and I could betray you by not telling mine."

"But that's exactly what you do."

Chloe rolled her eyes and walked away from the desk, her back turned away from Clark, her demeanor changed from joking to completely serious.

"I've told you the truth before. And every time something's popped up that makes it impossible."

"You mean Jimmy, or Lana?"

Chloe nodded sadly. "There are so many obstacles that the idea was shot down before it was really ever brought up."

"Yeah, but, Chlo," Clark said, edging towards her, "You can't really blame anyone for that. Things happen, that's the way it is."

Chloe turned to him, her eyes feeling heavy with tears. "Things always worked out for you and Lana, and I just figured that was because you were meant to be together. Why try and tear that apart?"

Clark shook his head. "Things didn't always work out for Lana and me. Bad timing had a _big_ role in that. Well," he paused. "That, and my seemingly effortless ability to break her heart beyond repair."

Chloe laughed a watery laugh. "Clark, you can do a lot of things; breaking a girl's heart beyond repair isn't one of them." Clark smiled one of his large, charismatic smiles. Chloe raised her eyebrows. "There you go. One of those Kent Charm smiles and the world is right again."

He sighed, his green-gray eyes going downward. Chloe took a deep breath. "You need to try with Lana again."

He looked up, surprised. "Chloe, I—"

Chloe looked up. "It's no secret that she's the one you love." She brought her eyes down to meet Clark's. "Don't let that go because of me."

"Chloe, don't—"

Chloe shook her head, turning on her heel. "Clark, have you ever gone wrong by following my advice before?" She let a small smile creep onto her face before descending the stairs again, leaving Clark alone in the loft.

Walking out of the barn was probably the hardest thing Chloe had done; she had turned Clark away before, but now it seemed like it was the last time. Heavy, hot tears slid down her cheeks as she remembered something she wrote in sophomore year.

'_I may not be the one you love today, but I'll let you go for now, hoping one day you'll fly back to me, because I think you're worth the wait.'_

She had let him go, and she had waited. Clark had even flown back to her, more than once, or even twice. But she had always turned him away, telling herself firmly that if he came back, he was hers to love.

Now it seemed that wait would last an eternity. But Clark Kent would always be worth it. 


End file.
